1
as in rebellion
refusal to obey
any defiance of the authoritarian regime would have dire consequences
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in opposition
the inclination to resist
the troubled youth seems to have an ingrained defiance to authority of any sort
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in aggression
an inclination to fight or quarrel
a deeply troubled person who seemed the very soul of defiance
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of defiance
New Orleans police have reportedly spent years scanning live feeds of city streets and secretly using facial recognition to identify suspects in real time—in seeming defiance of a city ordinance designed to prevent false arrests and protect citizens' civil rights.
—
Ashley Belanger – May 19, ArsTechnica, 19 May 2025
Critics suggested that Johnson timed the announcement to distract from the fact that he’d just been fined for attending a party in defiance of his own COVID restrictions, though the policy had been months in the making.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 16 May 2025
The state's ongoing defiance of Trump's executive order to keep girls sports female has resulted in a controversy involving a transgender pitcher who has dominated a girls softball season.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 16 May 2025
That record of defiance in the face of threats to his freedom and safety alone would be astonishing, but the work itself, shot in secret, has also been fascinating — slippery, introspective, daring, and unbearably moving.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for defiance
Ashley Belanger – May 19, ArsTechnica, 19 May 2025
Critics suggested that Johnson timed the announcement to distract from the fact that he’d just been fined for attending a party in defiance of his own COVID restrictions, though the policy had been months in the making.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 16 May 2025
The state's ongoing defiance of Trump's executive order to keep girls sports female has resulted in a controversy involving a transgender pitcher who has dominated a girls softball season.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 16 May 2025
That record of defiance in the face of threats to his freedom and safety alone would be astonishing, but the work itself, shot in secret, has also been fascinating — slippery, introspective, daring, and unbearably moving.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for defiance
Recent Examples of Synonyms for defiance
Noun
-
The rebellion ramps up, but not without struggle, sacrifice, and Serena's help.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
20 May 2025
-
In 1998, people all over the country commemorated the rebellion, though the sectarian divisions and the violence of the Troubles loomed large.—
Joseph Patrick Kelly,
The Conversation,
20 May 2025
Noun
-
The Connecticut House of Representatives on Wednesday spent hours debating a bill that would strengthen protections for mobile and manufactured home owners, many of whom are seniors, but decided to stop the discussion in the face of Republican opposition.—
Ginny Monk,
Hartford Courant,
30 May 2025
-
The bill got about a half hour of debate ahead of passage, and there were no comments in opposition.—
Ginny Monk,
ProPublica,
30 May 2025
Noun
-
At age twelve, Genge began playing rugby and found an outlet for his aggression.—
Vitas Carosella,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2025
-
The level of aggression of the cancer is determined by the Gleason score and grade system.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
People.com,
21 May 2025
Noun
-
But the package faces mounting resistance from both ends of the Republican Party.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
20 May 2025
-
Some adaptations to infectious pathogens came at a cost, however: strengthening resistance to ancient diseases might have elevated the likelihood of immune overreaction.—
Kermit Pattison,
Scientific American,
20 May 2025
Noun
-
And an attorney representing local developers cited the law in objection to the county’s move to prevent thousands of new homes from being built beyond the county’s development boundary.—
Alex Harris,
Miami Herald,
23 May 2025
-
The defense objected to the response, and the judge sustained the objection, meaning the jury cannot consider his response as evidence.—
Nicki Brown,
CNN Money,
22 May 2025
Noun
-
Over the nearly 20 months since the hostilities began, Colin Clarke said there has been a radicalization effect in the U.S., particularly of the political left.—
Odette Yousef,
NPR,
28 May 2025
-
Opposition to the war became hostility toward our own military.—
Arthur I. Cyr,
Chicago Tribune,
27 May 2025
Noun
-
No disrespect to Webb either, but the Dodgers-Giants rivalry demands that this dramatic pennant race not end without the teams facing each other.—
Houston Mitchell,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2025
-
Rarely are signs of disrespect and arrogance brushed aside — especially if that player doesn’t possess elite skills, which most NFL talent evaluators agree, young Sanders does not.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
In 2016, a British passenger flying Flybe—a now-defunct regional airline—from Amsterdam to Exeter was fined more than $600 for his disobedience.—
Katie Jackson,
Travel + Leisure,
12 May 2025
-
The one who escalated the disobedience was the company under the direct command of its largest shareholder.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Defiance.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defiance. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share